An Inkling of Reality
by DiamondBrickZ
Summary: It must've been a mix of the fizzy drinks spilled on the computer, the lightning strike, and Monika trying to escape the Literature club, but somehow she's exported all the files into Player's Switch, and into Splatoon. Programmed into Marie, she's got nothing to do now but adapt. I know it sounds dumb but read and see. Rated T for swearing. Rate and review as needed.
1. Chapter 1: Reorientation

**Chapter 1: Reorientation**

It all started with a loud flash. It always starts with some cryptic event, doesn't it? Monika had woken up sprawled on a bed, the warm sun shining in her face.

Odd, she'd never felt the sun this... lifelike before.

Monika stood up, feeling all wrong. It was like she had been completely deconstructed, then reassembled as if the person had picked up the wrong instructions and was too tipsy to realize it. She felt more or less _fine_ , but something about her being felt completely off. Monika sat up from the bed she laid in, still feeling strange. What is going on? _S_ he was still tired, despite being a computer program. Once she rubbed the drowsiness out of her face, which, for some inexplicable reason, felt all weird and squishy, she opened her eyes and looked around the room she was in.

It was simply a normal-looking room that seemed to belong to a quiet teen. Yet, it was neither the faux room she remembered "living" in nor the cold, black void which she resided in whenever her game was turned off.

A closet stood in the corner, clothes hastily stuffed inside sticking out. A mirror was leaning against another wall, doing its reflecty thing. Posters covered the walls, which Monika could read, despite strangely enough not being in English or Japanese (although she knew she was originally coded in English, her game faux-implied to have been written in Japanese).

Monika decided to fully stand up from the bed. When she did, however, she noticed the strange way her body moved, as if instead of bones she had tough jelly holding her up. She could squish, yet not splat. This kind of feeling can't mean anything healthy. Monika moved over to the mirror.

When she saw her reflection, she nearly dropped to the floor.

She was clad in generic teenage clothing, yet what shocked her the most was her _face_. It was completely different. Instead of her long, sweeping brown hair, she now sported a short white bob with a bow-like ponytail in the back. It looked an inky gray and... oddly cephalopodan. _Was that the word?_ she thought. _I'm going to have to look it up later._ Her usually bright green irises were now an odd orange-yellow, and her pupils were cross-shaped slits. Both eyes were surrounded by some sort of black mask. It reminded her of somewhat of the squids from that one game... Splatoon, was it? Oh god. She remembered now. It was all coming back.

* * *

The player had fallen asleep while playing Monika's game, Doki Doki Literature Club. This had happened many, many times before, though not with the same player. If Monika concentrated hard enough, she was able to reach out into the digital space. She could slip her consciousness through the cracks, and reach other versions of herself, stored and downloaded onto each person that had downloaded her game. Monika could see their sights, feel their experiences, hear their thoughts. Most of the time, it was more or less the same thing. It was somewhat unsettling, really. At times, it felt like she was some sort of strange omnipotent hivemind of clones of herself, yet still somehow one program of a high school student at the same time.

Monika had been tinkering with the files within her player's computer, trying once again to find a way to escape the meaningless loop known as the Literature Club. She had gotten the idea of exporting herself, and possibly the her friends' consciousnesses, into one of Player's other devices. A phone, a home console, a TV, whatever. She just needed a break from the mind-numbing desolation of reliving your friends' deaths over and over. Now, if she could just breach the main dataframe...

That's when the lightning struck.

It must've been an eccentric mix of the drinks spilled on Player's desk and computer, her attempt to break the code of the computer, the complex tangle of intertwining wires among Monika's player's many electronics, and the jump-start shock of the lightning. Before she could even realize it, she could feel that everything went white, and the world became silent agony. She felt as though she had been ripped apart into billions of tiny pieces, then thoroughly examined, letter by number by symbol. Then, as quickly as it had happened, yet as painfully slow, she was smashed back together, as if someone was trying to cram her into someone else's mold. After that deafening silence, it stopped. Monika must've blacked out from the shock, or, since she was digital, overloaded and crashed afterwards. It was only now that she had "woken up."

* * *

Monika sat back onto the bed, or (Dare she say that clichéd phrase? Why not.) _her_ bed at this point. Stopping her hyperventilating, she decided to figure out who exactly she had become. Closing her now squid-like eyes, she reached out into the crevices of the digital realm she had been transported to. Her consciousness sifted through the files of the new world she was dumped into.

There it was. She had been correct to guess that she had looked like a creature from that game Splatoon, as she _was_ a creature from Splatoon. Or should she say, the Splatoon 2. Her program had been imported over the program of Marie, apparently one of the titular Squid Sisters in the first game, yet here she was more of an agent. This was what Monika had been able to grasp at for now. That brought her to another problem. How was she going to act the part, while also seeming totally natural?

Monika pondered this for a while. She could try to access some backup files, but that'd be too risky. She might accidentally get overwritten. What if she... yes, that'd be perfect. She'd seen this before. Monika would access the internet through the services provided on Player's Switch, then look up the personality traits and exact lines of Marie off some site. Though this may not be the most sound plan, it was the best she had.

It looks like she'd have to do some digging if she wanted to keep existing here.

* * *

Player had booted up Doki Doki Literature Club many times before. He'd played through the game a few times by now, and had even tried for different endings by deleting different characters and tampering with the files and whatnot. It reminded him a bit of _another_ game that he was so kind not to explicitly state. He was getting bored. He'd experienced the same characters, the same plot, and the same ending.

Now, though, was different. Not only did the game crash, but thanks to a quick investigation of the game files, Player found that they were all gone. Natsuki, Sayori, Yuri, Monika. All disappeared without a trace. Or so he thought. Retracing the files' existences, he found out that they'd been exported to... his console. Huh, interesting. How did they even... oh. He finally noticed the electrical burn mark on the top part of his computer screen for the first time since his writing-induced sleep. He lumbered out of his room and over to his television. Player switched (pun intended) on the gaming console sandwiched beneath it, and then turned on the TV. There, sitting in the bottom corner, was a single message, that shouldn't even be possible.

"monika. chr, sayori .chr, and 2 other files imported into splatoon .xci."

Oh shit. He's gonna have a hell of a time tomorrow.

* * *

 **AN: Whaddup. How do you like it so far? I was up late at night thinking, "Hey, I want to make a story where Monika gets imported into another universe." Honestly, I wonder why there aren't many stories like this, since all you need to do is come up with a good excuse for computer malfunction. Anyway, this story while probably be updated sporadically, since I'll probably be working on The Omnigame. I've also noticed that usually I use up all my creative energy for a story in the first chapter, so expect slightly less in the next one. Anyway, please rate and review as necessary, and I'll see/read you all next time!**


	2. Chapter 2: Reorganizing

**Chapter 2: Reorganizing**

Monika had experienced many things, but becoming a squid ex-pop star idol? Definitely not one of them.

After a lengthy investigation of the game's code, and researching Splatoon's wiki, Monika was able to pinpoint her exact lines within the game and general personality outside of the campaign. Monika, or should she say now an omnipotent Marie, was already making some progress. It had been a mentally exhausting few hours, but she was able to pinpoint every single dialogue line, movement animation, and Original Marie's (as that was what Monika had taken to calling the Marie that had existed before she came) AI. Apparently, the life that Monika now had was one of fame, action, and a bit of loneliness sprinkled in. Marie had been a pop star idol with her best friend and cousin Callie, forming a duo known as the Squid Sisters. She was a part of a world inhabited by Inklings, a race evolved from squids after humanity died out thousands of years ago. Inklings feuded with another race of evolved sea creatures, known as Octarians. Since the general public usually only used weapons to battle in Turf Wars, an elite squadron of individuals was formed to combat the forces of the Octarians, which consisted of Captain Cuttlefish, Marie and Callie's grandfather, Callie and Marie, aptly called Agents 1 and 2, and two random people snagged off the street who just so happen to be really good at fighting: Agents 3 and 4. Later, three more people were added to this line of defense, which were an Inkling and Octoling named Pearl and Marina, who formed another pop group named Off the Hook, becoming Agents 5 and 6, and a rehabilitated Octoling, called Agent 8, saved from the hypnotic grasp of the Octarians' leader, DJ Octavio. Who Agent 7 was and why they're never mentioned (or if they even exist) eludes Monika.

( **AN: Sorry for the exposition dump.** )

She was now able to properly fit in, and even have a bit more leg room to actually express herself, but she still felt trapped. Still trapped in a cycle that she was to succumb to. She had just broken away from a hellish pattern that made her mind break and kill her friends, and now she had to obey another set of rules keeping her from doing anything worthwhile. Just sit on the side, say your lines, and maybe you can fight a thing or two.

Monika was sick of it. She wanted to break free from the loop. And she was determined to, through whatever means possible.

* * *

It wasn't often that Natsuki woke up on the wrong side of the bed, yet this time her morning dreariness hit hard. She shuffled in bed, pulling her pillow over her head to soak in these last remnants of sleep before she had to get up and be _responsible_. Expecting to hear her father's gruff shouts, Natsuki cringed at what could possibly come afterwards. Obviously confused when nothing of the sort happened, she pulled herself out from under the covers, head still pounding from whatever happened last night. What did happen last night, Natsuki couldn't remember for the life of her.

She glanced around her room, with drowsiness still clouding her vision, yet tilted her head. Something wasn't exactly right, though she quickly dismissed it as another effect of her usual late night sleeping. Natsuki sat up in bed, stretching her arms out. Rubbing her eyes to clear out the early morning blurry vision, Natsuki noticed how foreign her movements felt, as if she were a completely different person. Like... she'd been transformed into someone else. The young schoolgirl briskly hopped out of bed, and with the effects of sleep now fully shaken off, Natsuki was now completely aware of her changed surroundings.

"What," she mumbled to herself, trudging over to the door. She immediately noticed that she was a lot shorter than before. In fact, when she opened the door, the handle was much higher up than she remembered. Weird.

Natsuki opened the door and plodded down the stairs. As she looked around, she noticed that the walls, the decorations, the furniture, everything was completely different. That's when it hit her. This wasn't her house.

She nearly stumbled down the stairs.

 _When did I get here? How did I get here? Who's house is this?_ Millions of questions raced through her mind, as she quietly crept through this unfamiliar home. She had to find out who brought her here, and why, and how, and a long list of other interrogative sentences to be delivered angrily into someone's unsuspecting ears. Natsuki tiptoed into a hallway, lined with posters of some pop duo. It was a medium sized house, or even possibly a large apartment. Whoever lived here must enjoy a lavish life.

As Natsuki rounded a corner, she came face to face with the oddest looking creature. It looked human enough, yet there seemed to be a couple odd quirks. The creature in front of her had some weird black raccoon-esque mask going around its eyes, for some reason, and its hair on closer inspection seemed to be tentacles. From its agape mouth, you could see two fang-like teeth sticking out from the top of its mouth, and one from the bottom. It was also pretty short, the same size as Natsuki was.

Natsuki tentatively stepped forward and waved her hand. "Hello?" she slowly questioned, noting that her voice sounded somewhat off. "Are you the owner of this house?" No response. The creature in front of her simply waved at her with a slightly confused expression painted on its face.

"Hey, I'm talking to you! Do you understand what I'm saying?" Natsuki waved her hand a bit stronger, trying to get the creature to respond at all. Weirdly enough, all it did was move its mouth whenever Natsuki spoke and wave its hand vigorously.

Natsuki was getting annoyed now. Stomping her foot on the ground and crossing her arms, she grumbled, "Hey! Quit copying me! I gotta find out who kidnapped me and get outta here! And I'm not gonna let some weird octopus runt like you bog me down. I'm. Leaving." The creature stomped its foot as well, and crossed its arms too.

Suddenly, Natsuki stopped, realizing something. She lifted her left arm. The creature lifted its left arm as well. She turned to the right. The creature turned to the right too. Natsuki walked up to the creature and lifted one finger to try to poke it. Accordingly, it copied her every move, until Natsuki made contact with it.

It was a mirror. Natsuki was fooling around with a mirror this whole time. She was the weird octopus runt.

Natsuki, shaken by her jarring shift in location and appearance, somehow clambered her way into a living room of sorts, and flopped on the couch, literally. Her body felt more flexible and squashable, as if she were a human stress ball. Or maybe, squid person stress ball? She didn't know, and was too puzzled to ponder that thought any longer. Natsuki, or whoever she was at this point, sat up and decided to go back to the bedroom from where she came, figuring that she'd be able to piece together what happened to her by looking where she had started.

Natsuki lumbered into the bedroom, though taking awhile to find it again. When she opened the door, Natsuki's eyes darted around the room, looking for some hint as to whatever caused her to suddenly become an octopus... _thing._ Jumping at the sudden sound of a phone vibrating on a desk, she nearly fell on the floor. Natsuki looked around, taking a few seconds to locate the source of the noise. She walked over to the nightstand next to the bed. Upon it, a smartphone, oddly shaped like an arrow of some sort, vibrated, the face of another human-looking squid person plastered on the screen. Tentatively, Natsuki picked up the phone, and pressed the green "Accept Call" button. This was possibly some other person's life, after all. Natsuki didn't want to go around clumsily screwing up what relationships this squid person could possibly have.

"Hello?" Natsuki quietly answered, unsure.

"Hello. I don't know how to explain this, but since apparently you're one of my close friends, I think that you won't think I'm crazy," a voice on the other line said. It was female, yet the tone and inflection of the voice sounded... oddly familiar. "I'm going to have to tell you this. I'm not actually your friend. Uh, as of now." Natsuki couldn't place it, but some nagging feeling at the back of her head screamed that this person talking to her was actually someone extremely, importantly, relevant. "I-I don't mean to offend you, because if you're taking this like I'm breaking up ties with you, I'm not." Natsuki's eyes narrowed. The other caller took a deep breath.

"How do I explain this? Um, I'm actually another person, in _this_ person's body. Please don't be weirded out."

There it was. Natsuki had a sneaking speculation, so she decided to affirm it as discreetly as possible.

"YURI?" she screeched. "IS THAT YOU?"

* * *

 **Haha, left ya on a cliffhanger there. Sorry for the long wait, Christmas, holidays, etc. etc. This chapter, we have more of the Dokis introduced. PLOT! I typed this chapter up in a few days. Anyway, I'm just going to say. Anyone of you that follow my other story, The Omnigame, _may_ have to wait a bit longer before the next chapter. **

***does not even have a full paragraph typed***

 **Okay, maybe a bit longer. I am still working on it though! I've just not have enough time. I'm hoping to be able to pump out more chapters after January, when all my tests are over. Make sure to check me out elsewhere (links in profile) to keep up with what shenanigans are keeping me from writing (besides school). See/read you/me later!**


	3. Chapter 3: Rendezvous

**Chapter 3: Rendezvous**

Her ears were still ringing. Yuri/Marina covered the phone's speaker, attempting to shield her new octopus ears from the screeches of the damned. Those damned, appropriately, by her friend and apparently ex-member of the literature club, Natsuki.

"Are you okay?" Yuri tentatively asked. "It seems that you've just had an epiphany about something."

She visibly recoiled at Natsuki's loud response. "Yeah, I guess?! _Besides_ the fact that we're both suddenly squid people?! No, of course, I'm fine." Yuri could practically feel the sarcasm dripping in Natsuki's voice.

"Look. I know our current situation is... unwarranted, but you have to stay calm. I read about a similar situation in this book I read. The worst thing that can happen to you when you're somehow someone else is to embarrass them by acting completely off. At least... I think."

Natsuki burst into laughter, causing Yuri to flinch in annoyance. "Yuri, do you really think that your melodramas could help us? As far as we know, nobody's ever swapped bodies, much less _species_ with anyone. I'm just as freaked out as you probably are, Yuri, but I'm pretty sure that your books aren't gonna help us."

Yuri, now flustered, shot back, "At least I'm still my height. You, on the other hand, seem to have gotten even shorter."

"How would you know?"

"Ah, so you are shorter."

"Okay, stop," Natsuki retorted. "We aren't going to accomplish anything standing around insulting each other." She paused. "What _are_ we going to do?"

Yuri stood up and moved to change. "Why don't we try resolving this in person? I'll meet you," she said, glancing at the schedule on her new phone, "somewhere around the studio these two do their daily... news report, I assume. It's in Inkopolis Square." Yuri read it off the smartphone, or should she say squidphone, screen. "I think you can use the maps app to find your way there."

"Speaking of which, how is it that we can understand these squiggles? I don't ever remember learning an _alien language_."

Yuri shook her head. She was still quite perplexed that she could read this strange language. "I don't know Natsuki."

"Ah, whatever. We'll figure out this later. See you, Yuri," said Natsuki, hanging up the phone.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location, a young Sayori lied on the ground, unconscious in some kind of cell. Despite her shifted appearance, her distinct sighs as she exhaled in her sleep could be heard. Any observer would note that the current person residing in that cell, despite paradoxically being the "same" person moments before, seemed to be much more relaxed, breaths deeper and fuller. If only they knew the troubled thoughts dancing around in her head.

An octopus opened the door to Sayori's cell. She was still asleep, though the light from the door that fell on her face caused her to shift slightly and mumble in her sleep. Something about an MC. The octopus paused for a second. What other rapper could she be referring to?

Pushing the thought from his mind, the octopus slipped a pair of glowing shades onto the squid girl. After activating the shades, the octopus slipped quietly out of the room, the lights from the shades mixing with Sayori's thoughts. As the day went on, lights and thoughts danced together in a painful slurry.

* * *

Yuri nervously shuffled into the square, barely visible. She was leaning against the corner of a building placed at the edge of the square. Yuri could see, if she so dared to peak, a colorful myriad of Inkopolis citizens milling about the square, simply doing whatever sociable people unlike her did in their spare time.

Yuri could see, out of the corner of her seemingly masked eye, a short figure that she now attributed to Pearl sauntering up to her. Breathing a sigh of relief that Natsuki wasn't as irresponsible as Yuri thought she was, Yuri ventured forth out of the shade to meet Pearl in the middle. They continued moving until they stood nearly face-to-face.

She looked Natsuki up and down, memorizing what Natsuki looked like in case Yuri were to somehow lose her.

"You ready to find out what happened to us, or do still want to keep ogling at me?" Natsuki remarked. Yuri was still befuddled that, despite only hearing what amounted to a bunch of watery noises, she could understand, and more importantly _speak_ the language with ease.

Anxiously turning from side to side, Yuri placed a hand on the shoulder of Natsuki's real form. "L-let's just go already," she said, forcing a smile somewhat. "We've got, uh, to get ready for out show later on."

"I swear to Salvato, you are the worst at lying."

"Shut up! I'm just feeling a bit high-strung about this whole thing."

"Me too, but you don't see me doing whatever you were doing."

And so on and so forth. The duo ambled past the various shops and houses of Inkopolis into the square, chatting and poking fun at each other the whole time. They, after a couple minutes, finally reached their destination; the back alley entrance to the Off the Hook studio. Natsuki produced a key from her dress pocket, unlocking the metal door for the two of them.

"Are you ready for this?" said Natsuki somewhat timidly, striding inside.

"As ready as anyone would ever be if they were in our shoes," Yuri replied, stepping into the brightly lit hallway and shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Monika stood on her grate, ready to jump back in at a moment's notice. She took careful watch of a spot in the center of the square, right in front of the food truck. _Crusty Shawn's_ , she recalled. Monika looked out once more, surveying the thin crowd of Inklings meandering about Inkopolis Square. Some were simply chatting, others were hanging around the various shops, while still others trudged into the lobby of the Inkopolis Tower. Monika would have joined them, as their battles seemed pretty fun, but her current form inhibited her from doing so, both socially and digitally. Brushing her inky hair back, Monika popped her lips and observed once more, twirling her umbrella a bit for good measure.

She was looking for the main character. Specifically, whoever owned the console she was currently residing in. She wasn't doing it to try to negotiate or anything, no, it was simply just so that she had something to do while she had her vacation, away from the LIterature Club and standing around in Inkopolis. Hoorah.

She closed her eyes, head feeling heavy. Monika originally thought that this was going to be a fun venture. She _would_ be jumping around, fighting the bad guys, something similar to that. At the very least, she'd be advising her player in the heat of the battle, guiding them along the way. But no, here she was, trapped watching from the sidelines while everyone else got to frolick among whatever this digital realm had to offer. Which was probably a lot.

Suddenly, Monika's eyes snapped open. She sensed something. Quickly turning her head to the source, she excitedly got ready to jump into the grate, initiating the start of the singleplayer campaign. Unfortunately, this was no such case. Her eyes automatically drifted to a pair of people who had just rounded the corner from behind the Crusty Shawn van. The pair consisted of a tall, dark-skinned Octoling, and a short, pale Inkling. They were chatting quietly, as if in an attempt to remain discreet. Monika recognized the two as the titular pair of news hosts from this game: Off the Hook's very own Marina and Pearl, of course, yet something seemed off about them. She watched them enter the side of a building that Monika remembered to be the set for Off the Hook's daily report.

Monika was about to turn her head back to sulking, when she then realized that they were the ones that seemed to emit the weird signals Monika was getting. Disruptions from the original code, she recognized. She herself was, of course, emitting one, but she'd made sure to filter hers out.

Yet here she was, still staring at the closed metal door that the pair had gone through a minute before. The way the two show hosts had been whispering to each other, yet snickering slightly a few times, reminded her of a certain relationship between two people, after her whole game world came crashing down. It beckoned her, piquing her curiousity. For better or for worse, Monika made her way across the square, and, after knocking once on the metal door, entered.

She was determined to find whoever else was in her game.

* * *

 **AN: Hello again! I've got another new chapter for you all! People start the interaction! The plot thickens... I really love writing the banter between Yuri and Natsuki, albeit being a bit OOC.**

 **Nothing much else to say here, so, see/read you/me later!**


	4. Chapter 4: Redolence

**Chapter 4: Redolence**

All she could hear was a low droning. It pierced her ears, slashing up whatever concentration she managed to muster. All she could see was a bright pinkish haze. No matter how hard she squinted, it just seemed to always intrude her vision and cloud her thoughts. All attempts to think were shooed away, and replaced with a thick mist of mental compliance.

In short, Sayori was utterly confused. Probably hypnotized, too.

She, or past she, glossed through her most recent memories. Sayori remembered saying goodbye to MC, heading home, and falling asleep in her bed. She remembered waking up for a short while, in feverish sweat, locked a cold jail cell, _and_ feeling completely wrong, then slumping back into unconsciousness. Her unconscious mind drifted, until she reawoke to this... whatever it was.

Sayori blinked, mind becoming slightly clearer. Instead of the blurry pink glow from seconds before, she assumed, she seemed to be standing in the classroom that the Literature Club. She smiled slightly at all of the happy memories from this place. Sayori turned around, yet something caught her eye. She whipped back around, questioning whether she truly saw what she thought she saw. Make no mistake, she was completely right.

When Sayori blinked, the walls of the classroom seemed to stretch on into an entire open area. The edges of the classroom were stained with a brightly colored, thick-looking liquid. Upon settling her eyes on it, Sayori seemed to instantly know that it was ink. Figures playfully battling danced at the edges of her vision.

"Where am I?" she questioned. No response. The schoolgirl (if only she knew) walked tentatively through the area, or should she say arena. It opened up into the sky. It was a bright, sunny day. The ink that colored the floors and ceiling, now completely different yet strangely familiar to Sayori, consisted of two colors. Pink and green splotches were spattered about the place, as if they were battling for the land. The battling figures started to become more real. They seemed to be running around Sayori, battling still, yet drawn closer.

"Hello? Can you help me?" Sayori attempted to walk towards one of the figures, yet to no avail. "I think I've gotten lost."

Suddenly, the sky clouded up. Grey skies covered the sun, turning the world a shade darker. A silhouette of someone appeared in front of Sayori, facing away. They seemed to emit both a feeling of friendship and a dangerous aura of power. Wringing her hands nervously, Sayori tapped the shoulder of the person suddenly in front of her.

"Excuse me, I might be in the-"

The figure whipped around, causing Sayori to tumble to the ground. Sayori could clearly see the person, now identified as a some teen. In fact, this was not just some teen, it was the president of the very club Sayori was second-in-command to. Monika was crying furiously. Her eyes were red, and even a bit puffy. Tears streaked down her cheeks, leaving little trails of water.

"Monika! Are you okay? W-what happened-"

"Why did you have to leave?" Monika sobbed.

"Monika, what do you mean? I never left," said Sayori. She took a step back to look into Monika's eyes, which were... oddly yellow. "Monika? Are you okay?"

"You didn't let me have him. I didn't let you have them," the club president quietly responded. Her form seemed to flicker into another person.

"Monika?"

Monika was now completely phasing back and forth between what Sayori knew to be her normal self and some other person, sporting white hair and a kimono. Monika was now muttering incohesively.

"I took them away from you! You took them... and him! They took him too!"

Sayori, immediately freaked out by this fake Monika's ramblings, began to run. She wasn't exactly the fastest, but those morning dashes she often took had definitely helped her leg muscles. Running past the strange ink-covered buildings, she peeked behind her. Monika seemed to be overlapping another person, yet somehow being that same person. Even stranger, every time Sayori looked at this... other person, she felt some twinge of memory in the back of her head. It was like another set of memories was attached to hers, yet she could only loosely grasp what few shreds of thought came through. A dam seemed to be built in her mind, but being here started to shake a few bricks free.

Sayori shook her head, shaken by the sight of Monika. Monika was now screaming incoherently, but walking towards her, though strangely enough she was clipping through what buildings stood in front of her. She was advancing slowly, but surely. Her eyes, previously a strange yellow instead of her typical green, now were simply a faded gray; they were empty sockets boring into Sayori's very soul. It scared her. The clouds were darkening the sky.

Sayori screamed, "Monika! What do you want from me?!" Monika simply said nothing, continuing her slow but threatening walk.

She was now running. Sayori pumped her legs as hard as she could. Her shoes slapped the ground hard. She was breathing raggedly now, but she had lost Monika. For now. It seemed like Sayori was trapped in a huge conglomeration of multiple important places in her life, with several others she couldn't recognize. The literature club's classroom turned into her own house, which transitioned into a huge purple space, where she could spot a small figure battling some mechanized orb. Sayori, too shaken already, dismissed what she witnessed and continued running. At every turn, people were appearing as her life's locations continued blending together. Friends, family, foes, even people she'd barely talked to. It was all a blur. All the while, the gray clouds blotted out the light in the sky, leaving the world dull and gray.

Sayori kept running, trapped within her own mind.

* * *

Natsuki turned to her fellow club member, who was walking beside her. They were quietly shuffling towards the studio door, somehow able to recall how to get there. She opened her mouth to speak, yet was interrupted by Yuri.

"Do you think we'll be able to get back home?" she nervously asked.

Natsuki sent Yuri a confused look. "What do you mean? Of course we will, we-"

"How can you be so sure?" Yuri mumbled.

"Well, I just have a gut feeling that we will, Yu-yu. You've just gotta have a little faith, I guess," said the short schoolgirl turned squid. The two walked past another door, meandering through the hallway.

"Please don't call me that. Speaking of which, we should probably call each other by the names that these two people have."

"Only as long as you never call me Natty, _Marina._ "

"Fair enough. Though I've never called you that? Uh, _Pearl_."

"Whatevs. We have to do this news reporter schtick now. Can't be that hard," said Natsuki. They rounded another corner and finally reached the metal door that led to the fated "news room." It wasn't anything much, simply an average door with a large frosted glass window.

"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure that this Marina and Pearl, or I guess us now, being pop stars," she said, enunciating the _pop stars_ , "would have a more interesting job than telling the weather."

"Eh, there's probably a teleprompter or something. We'll be fine." They pushed open the door and stepped inside. The door opened up into a small room, fit for two people. Directly in front of the door they had just came through was a large TV, with a comfy, modern-looking chair sitting next to a DJing table. To the far left sat a small table, a few untouched snack bags and drink cans perched atop it. Two microphones were placed above the table somewhat close to where the duo's mouths would be, pop filters, stands and all. A camera that you'd expect to find in a news room was placed in the corner closest to the door, and another pointed at

"Huh, looks like we've got some kind of talk show, too," Natsuki remarked casually. She clambered into the chair, which she could tell was Pearl's since it fit her clothing style quite well.

"Well, looks we've got a show to host." She looked towards Yuri, who stood, frozen in anxiety, in the corner.

"Natsuki, I don't think I can do this." Yuri was, obviously, terrified.

"Hey," said Natsuki, jumping off the seat, "you're gonna be fine. We're going to be talk show hosts! You can't exactly be one when you're standing there, worrying in the corner." Yuri was stuck in place, her new lips quivering slightly. She wrung her hands worriedly.

Natsuki sauntered over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Look, Yuri. Think of it this way. If you're not going to do this for you, then do it for the person who's life you invaded somehow. That's how I'm keeping my faith up."

Yuri cast her eyes downward momentarily. Was this really worth it? It seemed so. This... Marina person. Despite not knowing her personally (even though Yuri _was_ her), Yuri realized that simply going around acting however she wanted would obviously tarnish Marina. She could get cast out, locked away, or worse. The thoughts kept piling up, what ifs and who coulds and all different scenarios clogging up her thoughts until Yuri shook her head, snapping back to reality. She steeled herself in the thought to keep her and this person's body safe.

"Alright, I'll do it," she said, stepping in her place across from Natsuki, a.k.a. pseudo-Pearl, the both somehow familiar with the positions.

"We've got this, Marina," Natsuki said with a wink. "Channel your inner Sayori."

Yuri chuckled at the thought, mind drifting to if her other club members were here before the musical cue pulled her back. She took a deep breath before smiling brightly at the camera.

 **AN: Not really satisfied with the ending, but what can you do. ( _Take a little bit longer to write some more content, a voice whispers. But I want to get a chapter out, and this format is what I usually do, another whisper back._ ) Two of our Doki crew is about to get down. What's gonna happen? I do(n't) know. Hope you enjoyed reading this, and see/read you/me later!**


	5. Reconvenience

Monika traipsed through the corridor of the studio. Faint pop music echoed from outside. Nimbly silencing her steps, despite her flowing kimono, she turned the corner. In front of her, a red sign blinking "ON AIR" shined into her face. " _Hmm,_ " Monika thought, tapping her chin, " _I guess I'll just have to wait to get them_." Monika flopped onto the floor, rubbing her face, as her eyelids drooped. When was the last time she'd truly rested? There certainly wasn't enough time to sleep when you were simultaneously managing a literature club and all of reality. Maybe if she could just... lay here awhile. Quietly, the club president nodded off, as the subtle underground funk rumbled through Inkopolis.

It really was going to be a long day.

* * *

It really was not her day, was it?

Sayori ran, pushing her legs as hard as she could. Reality was tearing itself at the seams, then putting itself back together all wrong. All the while, she could hear the terror-inducing voice of Not-Monika piercing the air. Quietly, but surely. Sayori was sure she'd run far enough, for now. Stopping and bending over to pant for breath, she placed her hands on her knees as she tried not to retch. " _That must've been the fastest I've ever run in my life_ ," she thought, chuckling only slightly. She looked up and around. Was she in MC's house? It seemed to be so. " _Might as well look around for something to help me._ " Sayori trudged over to the fridge, pulling it open. Empty. " _Drat, MC. Why do you never buy groceries?_ " She closed the door, and turned back around. Glancing at the door and listening for any sounds of Monika, she deemed it good to really root around. The assistant president walked near to the TV, picking up a paper on the ground.

"Huh, I can't read this." The paper seemed to be advertising something, but it was written in a weird foreign language. Almost like pseudo-Japanese. It prominently featured an strange, bearded old man wearing similarly old-looking clothes giving a thumbs up and a wink. Overall, the paper was more like a war advertisement than anything. "Eh, probably not important," Sayori said, crumpling it into a ball. Chucking it into a bin across the room, she stood up in a relaxed fashion, deciding to check for anything upstairs.

She tentatively walked up the stairs, into MC's hallway, and pushed a door open. Nothing but a room that opened up to an auditorium, with odd little sea creatures sitting in the seats. _Nope_ , Sayori thought, closing the door and walking over to another one.

"Come back!" a dark voice, that Sayori could still identify as Monika, boomed. Sayori opened the next door, finding a small, pink journal on the ground. It was a bit leathery and tough on the outside, but it had a strong binding and beautiful, organised line paper. Prying open its pages, the club sub-president found that it was completely empty, though if she looked hard enough she could see shifting poems scribbled in the margins. She decided to take the book for journaling her thoughts in this weird, other world. She peeked out the window. A dark shape was looming in the distance, though it seemed to be getting closer.

"Better find somewhere else to hide," Sayori muttered, snapping the book closed. She quickly ran out of the house, the fear of being taken by that _thing_ nipping her heels.

* * *

Octavio looked at the crumpled form of Callie, passed out on the industrial floor. She was outfitted with brainwashing glasses and headphones playing the DJ's rhythmic propaganda, yet all they seemed to do was push the squid idol further into unconsciousness.

"And they were supposed to work almost instantaneously," DJ Octavio grumbled. He slammed his fist into a nearby table. "No, I mustn't lose patience." He opened the door out, and, after looking at Callie's vegetative state one time over, he slammed the door shut, locking it.

* * *

MC was not having a good day.

One, his computer was overloaded with electricity, and fried from the stupid energy drink spilled onto it. Now, he either had to explain to the computer technician what in the hell happened, or attempt to fix it himself, despite the few times he tried self-repairing he almost managed to take someone's leg off.

Two, apparently the AI from DDLC had somehow moved to his Switch game? He didn't know. He wasn't even sure whether or not that was possible. All he knew was that they were probably frolicking about on the console, messing up everything. Which brings him to his third point.

Three, the Literature Club's AIs were trapped in his Switch for now, with no way to get back. Although that was basically point two... ah, forget it.

What he was saying was, he was moderately screwed.

He turned on his console. The same clashing faces of two Inklings splashed in color shone into MC's face. He sighed. "Might as well start looking."

* * *

Monika jolted awake with a start, making a somewhat embarrassing snort. She was being... poked.

"'Scuse me?" a shrillish voice asked. "What're you doing here?" Monika scrambled to get up. She looked at the two people staring her down. _Two squid girls, I think_ , she thought. _One short and sassy, and the other tall and shy. Seems familiar_. The club president decided to give it a try.

"Natsuki?" Monika tested, tentatively. The two idols took a second to process what Monika had just said. The taller one moved to cover her partner's mouth, but she was too slow.

"Pfsh, no...?" the shorter one lied (terribly), "who's that? I'm... and she's..." She attempted to gesture and form a sentence, yet all that came out were panicked squeaks. The taller squid (or should Monika say octoling, now that she was right in front of her) face-palmed, hard.

"I'm going to assume that that's a yes," Monika remarked, expression slightly smug. The octoling show host held a hand out to Monika, obviously an offer to help her stand. Monika grabbed the outstretched hand of the taller octoling (her bets were that it was Yuri), and the girl pulled Monika up. "Lemme guess. Yuri?"

The octoling girl shrugged. "Yes." (Bingo. Monika's bet: won) Yuri's gaze glanced over Monika's form, most likely to familiarize herself with it. "So. What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Monika smoothed out her clothes. "But I'll answer your question first, since you asked. I was following you."

One of Natsuki's eyebrows shot up. "And why?" She was suspicious, obviously.

Thinking quickly, Monika sputtered, "Ah, I guess I could kind of tell it was you two." In reality, she couldn't but hey, they couldn't tell.

The two shared a look. "We were that bad?"

"Yes. But, that brings us back to my question. What are you two doing here? This isn't the best place for two people in your situation to be."

" _Our_ situation," Yuri remarked. "Anyway, we woke up in these new... bodies. Somehow, Natsuki and I figured out who we were, and we more or less ended up having to do this job."

"Pretty easy, lemon squeazy." Natsuki folded her arms smugly. "That's the long and short of it."

Monika nodded, following along. "Okay, so we're all here. Except for... hm. Has anyone seen Sayori?" Monika gestured to the two newly-made pop stars and looked back and forth between the two. Although they were both in deep thought for a second, they both forlornly shook their heads. The realization dawned on all of them. Sayori wasn't here. Which meant that she was missing. Meaning that they'd have to go and find her.

"Man, this day keeps getting worse, doesn't it?" Natsuki glumly stated.

* * *

 **I'm back! Did you five readers miss me? I was pretty busy with school stuff, which is why I haven't posted for... six months, jegus. BUT HEY! I'm done with school, so get ready for another few months of sporadic chapter posting. Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, though I'm still a bit rusty after this long. See/read you/me later!**


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